Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, California · Website
$37,291
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$37,291
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Bakersfield College is a public 4-year college in Bakersfield, California with 17,280 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $14,621 a year (tuition and fees $1,430 in-state, $11,300 out-of-state). 21% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $37,291 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $8,312 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,621
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,430
Out-of-state $11,300
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
21%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$8,312
About $88 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$37,291
Rank 3,133 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,621
- Tuition in-state
- $1,430
- Tuition out-of-state
- $11,300
- Cost of attendance
- $22,018
- Students with a need-based grant
- 30%
- Students with federal loans
- 0.8%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $14,493
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,538
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,011
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,746
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $1,326 in 2015-16 to $1,430 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 17,280
- Part-time students
- 64%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 31
- Completion rate
- 21%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 125
- Endowment
- $14.9M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,133 of 5,094 US colleges and 348 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,621 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,430 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 21% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | - | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $8,312 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $29,867 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $37,291 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 28% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 50% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
125 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 2,095 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,584 | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 1,630 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 326 | Withheld | Withheld | $38,723 | $39,288 |
| Biology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 293 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,758 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 202 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 174 | Withheld | Withheld | $40,694 | $46,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 148 | $9,246 | $86,312 | $103,477 | $80,813 |
| SociologyAssociate's | Associate's | 123 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,822 | $44,144 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 106 | Withheld | Withheld | $28,483 | $34,184 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCertificate | Certificate | 102 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 93 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 87 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,243 |
| HistoryAssociate's | Associate's | 72 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,929 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsAssociate's | Associate's | 58 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,755 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 56 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fire ProtectionAssociate's | Associate's | 51 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 47 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,650 |
| MathematicsAssociate's | Associate's | 46 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,929 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,825 |
| Agricultural Production OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 39 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,438 |
| Computer ScienceAssociate's | Associate's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentAssociate's | Associate's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,147 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,389 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Bakersfield and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Bakersfield College cost?
$14,621 a year is the average net price at Bakersfield College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,430 for in-state students and $11,300 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $22,018. Families earning under $30,000 pay $14,493 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Bakersfield College?
Bakersfield College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Bakersfield College graduates earn?
$37,291 a year is the median pay of former Bakersfield College students who work, 10 years after they started ($29,867 after 6 years). That ranks 3,133 of 5,094 US colleges and 348 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $86,312.
How much student debt do Bakersfield College graduates have?
$8,312 is the median federal student loan debt of Bakersfield College graduates, about $88 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 0.8% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Bakersfield College?
21% of first-time, full-time students at Bakersfield College finish within 6 years. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Bakersfield College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (2,095 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (1,630 certificate graduates), Psychology, General (326 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 125 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.